


And Hope to Die

by Myssi



Category: Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien!AU, Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 11:14:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11804877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myssi/pseuds/Myssi
Summary: Lance is a corporal with the Garrison. When the company, Weyland-Yutani, loses contact with their terraforming colony on Balmera, Lance's squadron is the one sent to investigate. However, accompanying them is a moody consultant with really bad hair and a strange hatred for androids. He's also more on edge than anyone should be for a standard bug hunt and rescue mission.Maybe, though, there's more to this mission than Lance thinks.





	And Hope to Die

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone can thank @galratechno on tumblr for this idea. He was the one who mentioned that he was surprised that there wasn't an Alien AU for Voltron, and the wheels in my head just started spinning. And as always, a HUGE shoutout to my beta, Miniatures, without whom I would be lost and stuck with ever-changing tenses. You're a lifesaver, bless you always.
> 
> This follows the second movie of the franchise, "Aliens," pretty closely - especially in the beginning. A lot of the dialogue is the same, but as the plotine progresses I expect to drift further and further from it. You DO NOT have to have seen the movie in order to understand this fic. 
> 
> Some points to understand this fic though (if you've seen the movie Alien then you shouldn't have too much trouble);
> 
> Basically Keith is Ripley and was abroad the Nostromo when a xenomorph boarded the ship and killed his entire crew. He destroyed the ship and he and his cat Red were the only survivors. I may write that fic if this one is well received, but basically everyone died and Keith is Not Over It. 
> 
> The Garrison is the military in this fic. No Marines, just good ol' Garrison guys and gals. 
> 
> A lot of people are going to die. A lot of these names are literally here so I can kill them. I'm not saying who though. 
> 
> Also, I haven't introduced everyone in Lance's squad in this chapter. There's maybe three more guys we'll met next chapter, but don't get too attached to anyone.

Garrison squads are known for being the type to shoot first and ask questions later. They have to be in order to survive out in space, where the unknown lurks in the silence of the ever-expanding horizon. While humans have yet to meet alien races that can communicate with them, they have met plenty of hostile creatures. That’s why when the company Weyland-Yutani lost contact with their colony on Balmera… they called the Garrison. 

Waking up from cryosleep is always an experience. It’s like rising up out of the waters of a warm pool, breaking the surface and groggily re-entering the world. There is always the concept that a significant amount of time has passed, and the choking fear in the back of your mind that maybe it’s been too much. Lance has never understood why it feels warm – they practically freeze you in order to achieve cryosleep, after all. 

He listens to the sounds of his squad waking up around him, the groans and sleepy sighs. He blinks lazily at the roof, the pleasant warmth beginning to leave his limbs. 

“They ain’t payin’ us enough for this,” Myzak grumbles as he sits up, his face twisted unhappily as he glares at his surroundings. 

“Not enough to wake up to see your face.” And that’s Acxa, sounding far too awake for having just come out of cryo. Lance sits up as the two continue their banter, Myzack asking if Acxa’s comment was a joke, and Acxa biting back that she wished it were.

“Hey McClain,” Myzak calls to him. He glances up to look at Myzak, but his attention is caught by the person in the cryopod next to him as Myzak continues. “You look just like I feel.” 

Lance ignores Myzak, watching as the man next to him drags himself upright and starts to blearily become cognizant. He feels like he knows him – and Lance isn’t one to easily forget a mullet.

He doesn’t get the chance to look for long before Lotor begins to call to them to get up, starting one of his many speeches, and then announcing the first assembly in fifteen minutes. Lance sighs under his breath, running his hand through his hair and pulling himself to his feet.

\--

Breakfast is always a team bonding affair. Lance digs into what he hopes are scrambled eggs, but which the team has always referred to as space goo. One of the newer recruits – Rax? – asks loudly, “What’s this crap supposed to be?” to which Narti answers, “Eggs, I think.”

“It’s good for you, kid, eat it.” Lance smirks, pointedly taking a large bite of his own yellow mush, to which Rax wrinkles up his nose in disgust. 

“Hey, Top, what’s the op?” Zethrid calls to Lotor as she goes to pick up some silverware. A chorus of voices agrees with her question; Lotor gives them all a toothy grin. 

“It’s a rescue mission, you’ll love it,” he says, stabbing at his own space goo as he holds a mug of coffee in his other hand. “We’ve gotta go rescue a couple of colonists from their existence of not knowing us.” 

Laughter and jeers follow his words, and Lance adds in his own chuckle. When he looks down the table, he sees the dark haired man leaning over his plate and staring down at it, a frown covering his face and his eyebrows drawn together. Acxa had said he was a consultant of some sort, and it’s obvious he isn’t from the Garrison – that red jacket certainly isn’t regulation, and Lance hadn't seen any dog tags on him. 

His attention is drawn away from the brooding figure by Ezor’s voice. “Hey, Shiro!”

The tall man, standing over the troops to make sure no one needs refills, slides his gaze to her. 

“Shiro, do the thing with the knife!” 

Shiro’s expression changes to one of exasperation, shaking his head. “Oh come on Ezor, please no…” he says, taking a step forward despite himself.

“Come on,” Ezor pleads, her grin growing wider as Shiro takes the knife from her hand with a sigh. He flips the knife in his hand, drawing her attention to his hands as he places one on the table. Lance watches with interest, chewing, as Zethrid creeps up behind Ezor and quickly grabs her from behind, grabbing her wrist to spread her own hand on the table. 

“Hey, wait!” Ezor gasps, struggling a bit to escape Zethrid’s hold. “Wait man, not me!” 

Shiro carefully places his hand over hers, not looking at her. 

“Yes, you,” Zethrid growls. “Don’t move.”

“Trust me,” Shiro says evenly, giving her a slight glance as he grasps the knife firmly and twists the point into the table a bit. 

“Aw, man, I don’t wanna see this.” Lotor grumbles, standing up and moving away, abandoning his space goo but taking his coffee with him. Lance ignores his commanding officer, a smirk on his face as he watches Ezor and Shiro, continuing to eat spoonfuls of his own meal without really thinking about it. Shiro begins moving the knife, slowly at first, stabbing in between his and Ezor’s fingers. Ezor yells as he does, the volume of her voice increasing with Shiro’s speed as his metal arm flashes under the overhead lights. Almost as quickly as he starts, Shiro stops, pulling the knife away from their hands. Ezor breathes a sigh of relief as Lotor calls out, “Alright, knock it off!” Lance grins into his coffee.

“Thank you,” Shiro says, handing the knife back to Ezor, who looks pale as a sheet. He moves off, grabbing a tray and heading to the Lieutenants’ table. Lance watches him leave. 

“Looks like the new Lieutenant is too good to eat with the rest us,” Lance says.

Next to him, Acxa chuckles a bit. “Guy’s definitely got a rod up his ass if you ask me.” She lifts up a chunk of what might be cornbread and eyes it warily. A raised voice from the 

Lieutenants’ table catches their attention, and Acxa lowers the bread as they both look over. 

“You didn’t say anything about an android being on board!” The voice is gruff, and Lance quickly realizes it’s coming from the consultant, who’s looking at Shiro as though he’s holding a gun to the guy’s head instead of simply sitting next to him.

“It never occurred to me,” says the guy across from Shiro – what was his name again? He was a lawyer or something. “It’s common practice to have a synthetic on board.”

Shiro still has his hand lifted, examining his thumb. He must have cut himself with the knife, because Lance can see the white blood replacement shining from here. 

“I prefer ‘artificial person’ myself,” Shiro says softly, not looking at the lawyer. Lance isn’t even quite sure how he heard it, the words are so quiet. Shiro lowers his hand and turns to the consultant.

“Is there a problem?” Shiro’s face, from what Lance can see, is still that open, easy expression that it always is, the face that makes his biting humor so funny. 

Instead of answering him, the consultant turns to look at the lawyer guy, who speaks again. 

“I’m sorry,” he starts, speaking to mullet first. “I don’t know why I didn’t even think- Look.” He turns to Shiro now. “Kogane’s last trip the syn – the artificial person malfunctioned –”

The consultant, Kogane, look furious. “Malfunctioned?” he spits, venom in his voice. The man ignores him, continuing to talk to Shiro. 

“There were problems and a few deaths were involved,” he finishes. 

Shiro’s eyes widen as he stares at the man. “I’m shocked.” And he looks it. “Was it an older model?”

“Yes, the Hyperdyne Systems 120-A-2.”

“That explains it, the A-2s were always twitchy.” Shiro turns to Kogane, alarm still on his face. “That could never happen now with our behavioral inhibitors. It is impossible for me to harm or allow a human to be harmed.” He turns and picks up a tray, offering it to Kogane as a sign of peace between them. “Are you sure you don’t want some?”

Kogane stares at him for a minute. Then he slaps the tray out of Shiro’s hand. The rest of the company who had not been watching and had fallen silent over their meal, snapped their heads up to look toward the sound. 

“You just stay away from me,” the man growls, his eyes cold. Shiro looks at him, stunned, before quietly standing from the table to move away.

Rax snorts a bit. “Guess he doesn’t like the eggs either.”

\--

The hanger has always been where Lance feels most at ease. Even back when he’d been a mere cargo pilot, there’d been something cathartic about being around the vehicles and maintaining them. Most of the squad feels the same, which is why on even on their down time they are most often found there. Not that they really have much down time in space, which is why the team draws out their hanger hours as long as they can.

They are all in the hanger when Lotor enters with the new lieutenant, some working on the vehicles, some messing around with each other. Everyone snaps to attention as Lotor calls out.

“Squad ten-hut! Officer on deck!” The team quickly salutes at the words, but drop it as the officer barks out, “As you were.” 

They begin shuffling to the assembly area, some of the slower members quickening their paces as Lotor ushers them. Lance sits close to Shiro, as is usual for them. Acxa and Zethrid make noises of protest at him, and Ezor pouts.

“Settle down,” Lotor commands. “And listen up.”

The Lieutenant, whose uniform names him as Thace, turns to face them. Lance notes with some irritation that Kogane is standing next to him, and Lance will be damned before he listens to some consultant lecture him on how to do his job – especially after how he treated Shiro.

“Good morning Alpha Squad. I’m sorry we didn’t have time to brief you people before we left the Garrison – ”

Ezor raises her hand, her expression coy as she interrupts him with a, “Sir!”

Thace sighs, already looking irritated. “What is it McClain?”

“Ezor, sir. He’s McClain.” She jerks a thumb at Lance.

“What’s the question?” Thace asks impatiently, not acknowledging his mistake.

“This an actual fight or just another bug hunt?” she asks lazily while examining her fingernails.

“All we know is there’s still no contact with the colony on Balmera. Now the planet is known for having extreme windstorms – in fact the whole damn place is nothing but one big wind planet, so it’s possible that their communications tower blew over. However, intelligence suggests that a xenomorph may be involved.”

Lotor is the next one to speak, off to the side of the Lieutenant. “Excuse me, sir, a what?”

“A xenomorph.” Thace says again.

“It’s a damn bug hunt,” Lance says, rolling his eyes. They haven’t had a good fight in weeks. He’s so sick of goddamn bug hunts. He looks at the Lieutenant, trying to keep his voice even, but a hint of sarcasm creeping in. “What exactly are we supposed to be dealing with here?”

Thace doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks to the shorter man next to him, and nods. “Kogane?”

“Aw c’mon Gen, we know the drill here. We’re not rookies. What’s the big deal that we need a super special debrief, it’s not like we haven’t done this a million times before!” Zethrid interrupts, waving a hand and nudging Acxa. The pair chuckle, and Thace glares at them.

But before he can open his mouth, another voice cuts him off. 

“They bleed acid.”

“What’d you say short round?” Zethrid jeers back. “Acid blood ain’t a thing.”

“Enough!” Thace snaps at her, as the consultant stands and crosses his arms, face thunderous. 

Kogane doesn’t wait for Thace to gesture for him to continue talking. “We set down on Balmera. A crew member was brought back on board with something attached to his face.” 

Here, Kogane crosses his arms across his chest as he stares back as Zethrid stonily. “Some kind of parasite.”

“We tried to get it off, but it wouldn’t come off. Later, it seemed to come off by itself and die. Sendak seemed fine.” Kogane looks down at his feet, seeming to gather himself here and looking increasingly more uncomfortable. He raises his head again, and once again, his expression is neutral. The entire squad is silent, unsure of how to react to the story.

“We were having dinner. The parasite must have laid something in him, because Sendak began having chest pains. It busted its way out of his chest and was loose in the ship. It grew rapidly. Within twenty-four hours my crew was dead and I was blowing up my goddamn ship trying to kill it.”

His gaze does not waver, and he does not blink, and Lance feels the breath steal from his chest at the words. Even Acxa doesn’t seem to have a reply for him after the tale.

“So I hope you do know what you’re doing.,” Kogane spits out. “I really do.”

Thace clears his throat. “Thank you, Kogane. We have his report on disc. I suggest you study it. The mission is simple; just try and locate the terraformers of the colony for extraction, should it prove that they did find xenomorphs. If you find xenomorphs, Kogane will advise you on how to engage. I want this thing to go smooth, and by the numbers. You’re the best team we have, and we have full confidence in all of you.” Thace sounds a bit smug at the words, and seems to puff out his chest. Kogane doesn’t look at him; doesn’t even react to the words.

“I want TCS and tactical database assimilation by 0830. Ordinance loading, weapons strip and drop-ship prep details will have seven hours. Dismissed, and move it!” 

Lotor steps up as Thace moves away. “Alright sweethearts, you heard the man and you know the drill, get to it! Zethrid, get here. Get here!”

Almost immediately the jeers begin again. Lance stands up as Shiro does, but lingers where Shiro does not. Kogane catches his gaze again, and Lance simply nods to him, unsure of what he sees in those eyes. He begins to walk away, his mind reeling a bit – Kogane, assisting on a mission. Aliens that bleed acid. Aliens that wiped out the entire crew of the Nostromo in twenty-four hours. And in less than twelve hours he’s going to be hurtling toward that very planet, possibly toward those monsters. 

He needs to call his mom. 

As he’s walking, he hears Kogane say something to Thace on their way out, and the words make his heart freeze.

“They’re all going to die.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos help me write faster! 
> 
> Follow me @captain-asexual on tumblr.


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